G'day all,
For all those who have faced the frustration with applying for an ASIC so you can exercise the privileges of a C of V in Australia I certainly sympathise with you. It is difficult but not impossible to get your ASIC organised so it will be ready by the time you arrive in Australia.
My first piece of advice is: DO NOT APPLY THROUGH CASA FOR YOUR ASIC. They are incredibly slow in the proccess and have some fairly anal interpretations regarding the ID checking requirements.
You have a myriad of other options for your ASIC as just about every security controlled airport in Australia (including the small one which I am manager of) is an Approved Issuing Authority for the ASIC.
I strongly recommend you contact and organisation called Aviation ID Australia who are located at a place called Merimbula on the NSW south coast. Very friendly and helpful staff there who cater specifically for pilots as an alternative to CASA. Go to their website at
www.aviationidaustralia.net.au and see if they can process your application any quicker.
The problem with CASA appears to be the question of who can verify foreign documents such as drivers licence, birth certificate etc. I don't believe CASA's ruling on the certification of these documents is correct.
PM me if anyone would like some specific advice.
One of the most significant delays experienced has been the security checks carried out by Australian Federal Police. The system is due to change over to an online application which can also be made directly by the applicant themselves. This should greatly increase the speed of the ASIC program. The new body responsble for this is the Attorney Generals Dept under a scheme called AUSCHECK. They are experiencing some problems with the rollout of the new system but once online, I think it will prove to be a faster process to what we currently have to put up with.